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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857555">Trust</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peppsta/pseuds/Peppsta'>Peppsta</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lets hurt Tobirama [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blackmail, Can be read as gen or slash, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hashirama is a good bro, Hurt Tobirama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Hashirama, Protective Madara, Senju Tobirama Needs a Hug, Tobirama being a decoy, Tobirama saving children, Violence, Whump, forgive me my grammar and typos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:55:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,086</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857555</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peppsta/pseuds/Peppsta</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Children are the hope of every nation. They are the future. Nothing needs more protection than the future of Konoha and Tobirama will give everything for that.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Senju Hashirama &amp; Senju Tobirama, Senju Tobirama &amp; Uchiha Madara, Senju Tobirama/Uchiha Madara</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Lets hurt Tobirama [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1773670</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>444</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Fighting for the Future</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Just some basic "hurting Tobirama beacause we love him"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The earth was quivering under the power, which was forcing its way through while Kunais and Shuriken were splattered everywhere. The ground cracked open and debris, stones, grass and wood flew through the air in every direction.</p><p>Suddenly there was silence. It was unusual for silence to exist in the midst of a battle but Tobirama couldn’t hear a sound, except for the heavy breathing of the terrified children behind him. He risked turning his head slightly, looking away from the battlefield, checking if anyone was hurt. They looked fine. The word fine was not quite fitting, though. They all had scratches and burns on their skins from various Jutsus and attacks which hit them before he could have intervened. But considering the circumstances, he was happy to see them all on their feet. They were all children of different clans but all part of Konoha, so it was his responsibility to protect them.</p><p>Tobirama turned his head back to the battlefield, the moment he heard the familiar sound of a Kunai searing through the air. Quickly, he threw his own to block the attack. He had to get the children out of there. They were hindering Tobirama to unfold his true power and strength.</p><p>Ambushes like this usually were no problem for the brother of the first Hokage but he couldn’t risk those children getting hurt due to his fighting. He was in the defence, instead of his normally aggressive and quick offence.</p><p>Tobirama estimated that there were over ten enemies. Their faces were covered with black cloth, only small slits could be seen, where their eyes shined through. He felt a surge of chakra head his way. He quickly turned to his left and formed a long series of hand seals. Water surrounded him and the children and thus, a giant water dragon formed over their heads and rushed into the direction of their enemies. The assassin was hit straight in the chest and was tossed into the dark woods.</p><p>He took a few steps back mentioning, with a sharp nod for the children to do the same. The group slowly backed up, leaving the sight of the battlefield in front of them. With a Kunai in hand, Tobirama circled the group of children while they walked through the forest. Due to his senor abilities, the Senju knew the fight was far from over. There were serval of enemies still surrounding them. His goal was to get the children towards the end of the forest, where he knew Konoha was waiting for them.</p><p>Tobirama wanted to notify his brother somehow. Those children needed to be safe but leading the enemies towards their precious town was far from ideal. Technically Hashirama could sense him in this forest but Tobirama knew he wouldn’t. There was no need for his older brother to search him. He left his brother with the intension of going to the training grounds, letting out his frustrations after a long day of work, not to patrol the town of even engage in a fight.</p><p>When he was sure that they had a moment of peace, Tobirama kneeled on the ground to speak to the children on eye level. They all looked frightened and cowered together in a small huddle.</p><p>“Listen carefully, young ones. I must part from you now, I can not go any further.” Their eyes widened and hushed whispers were shared. “We can not allow those people to infiltrate our village, we must-“ He was interrupted when a small boy, not older than three raised his hand.</p><p>“What does infi… inful… infeltrade mean?” He asked. Tobirama chuckled and placed his hand on the black-haired head of the child. Black hair, dark eyes. An Uchiha. He often saw that child running around in the town, playing with his siblings or friends. “It means we can not allow them to go into Konoha. They could hurt somebody in there.” Tobirama answered with a slight smile. The boy nodded and lowered his eyes again.</p><p>“I want you to run straight ahead.” He pointed into the dark forest with his index finger stretched out. “We are not far from Konoha, just follow in this direction and the forest will begin to become lighter. When you arrive in the town, I need you to find an adult. A Shinobi. Tell them what happened.” Some of the children nodded. “But what you mustn’t do is return here. No matter what you hear or see.” Tobirama raised his finger. “Do not turn back, do not follow me. You must leave this forest. Does everybody understand?” More small heads nodded now. “I will give you a sign, then you’ll start to run.”</p><p>The small ones had various emotions in their faces. Fear, determination, worry, sadness… He could understand their feelings, but he couldn’t concentrate on those now. Carefully he placed two fingers on the ground and closed his eyes. The enemies were closing in on them. He waited for them to be close to each other so he could face them all at one. None of them could be allowed to focus on anything else but him. He needed to be the decoy, so the children had time to arrive in Konoha and hopefully get him some assistance.</p><p>The enemies were all at one point now, probably discussing their tactics. “Now!” He shouted and flung himself into the dark forest. Tobirama could feel several chakras of the children start to move collectively. So they had followed his orders and ran. Quickly he checked if all of them were on the move and no one was left behind. Closing his eyes, he sighed in relief. His plan worked; they all were running.</p><p>The hand seals for his Water Wall Jutsu were quickly formed and thus, he pressed his palms into the soft forest ground. “Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!” He shouted and a giant wave started to form in front of him. He felt his enemies flinch and trying to jump out of the way. His wave hit a few of them in surprise but not nearly enough. His day had been long, and he had already been tired when he left for the training grounds. He didn’t expect to engage in a fight today. His brother had warned him not to overdo it, but he didn’t listen. Hashirama was an idiot but sometimes, just sometimes, he was speaking wise words. When this battle is over and he’s back in Konoha, he’ll probably get to hear a lecture from his older brother.</p><p>He was ripped out of his thoughts when a man suddenly appeared in front of him. Grinding his teeth, he came to a fast stop, just to twist his body to avoid a Kunai penetrating his flesh. Another man jumped in front of his face, his hands tightly gripped in a seal. Within a breath the temperature rose and Tobirama was hit with with a wave of fire. The burning flames seared his face, hair, armour and pelt. The burning pain on his body pressed tears into his eyes but he quickly blinked them away. Cursing silently, he jumped back, preparing for a water Jutsu, when a harsh wind suddenly hit him in the back, shoving him towards the wall of flames again. Pain flared up again as he hit the fire wall. A scream erupted form his lips then he finished his last seals and water shot out of his outstretched hand. Before he could do anything, he was flying freely towards the ground. The cold wind was feeling nice on his burned skin, which throbbed so badly, he could barely move his right side. The scorched side of his face began to blister, following his palm and forearm. The covered places on his body were thankfully protected by armour.</p><p>Smelling burning hair, he threw his pelt onto the ground, just to see it fly away into the forest. The ground came steadily closer so Tobirama prepared to land on his feet and bend his knees. This never happened because the same strong wind, which had pushed him into the fire wall, came up again to throw him in through the air. This was no ordinary, natural wind. It had been manipulated through a Jutsu. His back hit a big branch, he got bend over backward and hit his head on the tree. He groaned deeply when his head began to throb painfully against his skull. Opening his eyes, he saw a blurred figure flying towards him, with a Kunai in hand. The Kunai was soaring towards his chest and with a clumsy roll, he saved himself from the sharp knife in his chest. The branch was hit by the Kunai and the whole tree was shaking.</p><p>Tobirama had to gain more time. His enemies weren’t exactly quick but the sheer number of them didn’t leave any time to think, to plan, to strategize. The next problem was his burned right palm. It was painful to create a Jutsu and hand seals with a burned hand. Even worse, it took more time to complete a sequence of seals with his injury now. Not to mention his blurred vision and fading concentration. He needed to get away, to lick his wounds and collect himself. Placing his left hand on the wood, he checked on the children and their path. He sighed in relief. They were standing at the gates of Konoha. At least that had worked.</p><p>“I never thought I’d see something like that. Is the great White Demon already out of breath?” One of the men mocked. Tobirama clenched his eyes together, feeling the burned flesh pull painfully at the stretch. “Come on, where is that fearful Senju everyone talks about? I’m disappointed, I have to admit.” Another man raised his voice. They tried to provoke him to lose his concentration (which he was already running thin on) and become careless.</p><p>There were exactly 6 men still standing around him. He could see three of them but behind him, he could feel the rest of them. He was surrounded. Tobirama was checking his options. He couldn’t just flee towards the village, they’d certainly follow him. He could just run farther into the forest, in his state, they’d catch up with him easily. His only option was to fight a fight, he knew he was not able to win.</p><p>Tobirama sighed and held his Kunai higher, to the level of his face. He was not ready to give up. He needed to fight until the end, even if it would destroy him.</p><p>At least the children were safe.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Big Brother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for all your nice comments and kudos! I'm glad you all seem to like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobirama couldn’t remember much, only the forms of fast moving figures and the feeling of sharp and searing pain. A few colourful dots danced behind his eyelids, adding to his throbbing headache. </p><p>The first thing he noticed, apart from the pain was the fact that he couldn’t feel anything. There was no chakra around him which left him worried. Normally he could feel even the slightest bit of chakra moving around in trees, the water or just small animals but there was… nothing. The next thing he felt was the way his body appeared to be restrained. No matter how hard he tried, he could not move a single muscle of his body. At first, he tried to move his finger but even the slightest stretch of skin on his hand made him want to throw up from the pain.</p><p>He remembered now. The burning wall of fire, the fight, the children.<br/>
His instincts screamed at him to move, to struggle, to free himself but his calm logic quickly overwrote his need to free himself. He needed to stay calm, to act smart or this would be his end. </p><p>He was unable to see, move or speak, he noted in his head, so he figured, they had tied him up, blindfolded and gagged him. His ability to hear was not hindered and thus he concentrated on what his ears could tell him. He heard the leaves being crushed, heavy boots walking on the soft ground and quiet voices whispering. </p><p>“Why didn’t we just kill him? If his brother finds out, we will all be doomed.” One voiced harshly hushed close to his ear. It was the man carrying him. “Our plan was to take the children not the damn brother of the Hokage!” He became louder and louder. Tobirama’s ears ringed and his head started to throb even harder now. He suppressed a moan, not wanting to pull their attention onto him. The blood which slowly rushed into his head, due to his head hanging down the back of his captor, didn’t really help to ease his painful head. </p><p>“Shut up! Hashirama Senju will be informed of his brothers capture anyway! It’s because we will tell him. He’d give anything to save his little brother, that’s just how big brothers are. Even if you are the Hokage.” Another voice hushed. It sounded like he was giving the orders in this group, so he had to be their leader. The grip on his back tightened while the man carrying him huffed. </p><p>“I still think this is a bad idea.” A small voice answered from his left. </p><p>“I know what I’m doing, trust me. Just make sure his ropes and seals are tight. The worst thing that could happen, is him being able to escape.” </p><p>Tobirama heard approving mumbling and suddenly he was thrown onto the ground. A small groan escaped his lips, after his burned side hit the cold ground. The men around him stopped moving and he felt their glances on him. </p><p>“Is he awake?” He heard a new voice ask. Tobirama focused on breathing long and evenly, to fool them into thinking he was still unconscious. “Nah, I don’t think so.” Answered the voice of the man who had just carried him. His voice was awfully close to his ear, so he could feel the warm breath on his skin. He tried not to cringe. </p><p>“You better hope he’s still unconscious. We haven’t arrived in our base yet.” The voice of the apparent leader spoke up again. “I don’t want to lose my money or life, just because you threw him onto the ground!” Another new voice screamed. “I just wanted to check the ropes and seals!” Shouted the voice close to his ear again.</p><p>“You guys need to shut up or he’ll wake up from your complaining.” The boss said again. A stifling silence hovered over them now, which he could cut, if he had just brought his sword with him. </p><p>The leaves on the forest ground were rough and itchy against his burned skin but he couldn’t dare to move, not even a muscle. The painful moan, which had escaped him earlier had already been too much. Before he could do anything, a strong arm moved around his stomach again, lifting him into the air and putting him back onto a hard shoulder again. Slowly they started to walk again, which left Tobirama time to figure out their plan. </p><p>Apparently, their original plan was to capture the children, he just protected, to use them as blackmail for his brother and the village. Clearly, they wanted money from him in exchange for their lives. They didn’t expect anyone to be with them though. After his defeat they must have quickly realized that the children were gone and their only chance to get to their money was through him. He must admit, their plan wasn’t that bad. Kidnapping the brother of the Hokage to gain wealth wasn’t stupid. On the other hand, it was stupid to kidnap Tobirama, the little brother of Hashirama. They didn’t know his brother like he did. The powerful chakra which would follow you for miles. The warmth he would spread with his smile. The fierce protectiveness of a big brother, whose only brother left, was in danger. </p><p>Tobirama would have chuckled if his entire body didn’t hurt like it was on fire. He felt sick from being upside down the entire time and thus, he slipped back into darkness again. </p><p> </p><p>Hashirama had a good feeling after he left the negotiations with the Hatake Clan about staying in Konoha. They seemed convinced to settle in the village after his long speech, which he was kind of proud of. He shared a broad smile with some children who crossed his way and he had a certain bounce in his steps.</p><p>“Oi! Madara!” He shouted over the entire street, the moment he saw his childhood friend standing at the gates of Konoha. There were a bunch of children surrounding him, telling him something excitingly. He knew Madara was good with children, after all, he did have a lot of little brothers and sisters. After Hashirama got closer to them he noticed they bodies were covered in scratches and other small injuries. They must have sparred at the training grounds with his brother. He was glad that young children like them were training to protect their village someday. To take over his place and lead Konoha into a bright and peaceful future. He was also happy for his brother to find a purpose in teaching those children everything he knew.</p><p>“Look at you!” Hashimara shouted after arriving next to Madara. “Coming back from training, I see!” On a closer look the blood in his veins froze. Those children were crying. What seemed to be small injuries from far away, now turned out to be burns and bleeding cuts. This was not the result of training. This was the result of an serious attack. Before he could ask them anything, Madara interrupted him.</p><p>“Those children were attacked, Hashirama, take this seriously!” The frown in his face was clear. The Uchiha was not joking. The kids were sniffling and talking over each other, so neither of the two could understand what they were saying.<br/>
Hashirama knelt down to be on the same height as them. A technique which had always helped with his little brothers. They felt like they were being taken seriously. Which they were. </p><p>“Now now.” Hashirama started with raised hands, trying to calm down the children and himself. “We can’t understand what you are saying if you are all talking at the same time. Please quiet down for a second” The children quickly obeyed. He looked at one of the oldest looking kids. He seemed out 7 and asked him directly. </p><p>“What happened. Were you attacked?” The Hokage saw in the corner of his eye how Madara copied him and was now kneeling next to him, with a little Uchiha boy in his arms. </p><p>“Mr. Hokage, sir. We were training at the training grounds with Mr. Tobirama. And-. And-. And-.” The child started to breathe quickly, too quickly to be healthy. He was hyperventilating. To calm him down, Hashirama put both of his hands on his shoulders and pulled him closer, until their foreheads touched. </p><p>“Calm down, you are safe now.” He carefully stroked his back, watching out for any injuries he may have. The boy had tears in his eyes but nodded bravely. It seems like all of his emotions were coming out now. </p><p>“We have all been sitting in a circle because Mr. Tobirama showed us how to do hand seals!” A small girl commented when she realized the other could not continue. Madara had his hands full with four children pressing themselves against him. Shivering and probably crying. He calmly stroked their back and whispering soothing word into their ears.  </p><p>“But then a group of men came out of the forest, next to us, throwing tiny stars at us!” The small Uchiha boy explained, still with tears in his eyes. Tiny stars… They probably meant Shuriken. “The bad men drove us into the forest and threw a lot of stuff at us.” He continued. </p><p>Immediately, Hashirama reached out to the trees in the forest. He noticed since the beginning of their story that his brother was not with them.<br/>
The trees were agitated, and he couldn’t clearly understand what they were saying.</p><p> </p><p>Hothothothot,burnburnburn,firefire,hardbreathe,harshwind</p><p> </p><p>Some whispered, some screamed but he couldn’t find his brother anywhere. It’s difficult to find a certain chakra in a wood full of animals and humans alike. The fact that he couldn’t find his brothers unique chakra left Hashirama worried.</p><p>He felt the red eyes of a Sharingan on him. He looked to his left to see Madara staring into him with his Sharingan fully activated.<br/>
“I can’t find him in the woods.” Madara groaned. So, it wasn’t just him.</p><p>“Mr. Tobirama was fighting with the bad guys and told us to run bach here and get to an adult!” The girl shouted again. Now tears were straining her face too. Hashirama put one hand on her shoulder. “He is still fighting them!” She continued. "You need to help him, please!"</p><p>“He said he will distract them because they can’t inful… infeltrade the village” The Uchiha boy started again. “Infiltrate?” Madara suggested with a little smirk on his lips. The young boy nodded and pressed his face back into the older Uchihas chest. He was welcomed with a strong embrace. </p><p>“We need to get them to the hospital, Madara. I don’t know to which extend they are hurt.” Hashirama looked at the red eyes of his friend. He wanted to search for his baby brother, to get him back to safety but he knew he should prioritize the health of the children, Tobirama sacrificed himself for. His opposite nodded and they both gathered the kids up in their arms and carried them in the direction of the hospital. </p><p>Madara had known Hashirama for a long time now, but he had never seen his chakra so… red! So angry! So full of rage and determination! The fast pace of their steps told him after they delivered the children to the hospital, all hell would break loose. Not for him but for the people who dared to hurt the brother of Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage of Konoha.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I quickly went over the chapters again because Word decided not to save my overworked file, so I had to fix some doubled and missing words again! Hope you have a good day!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Silence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello? Yes, it's me again! Welcome back to a new chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it and thanks again for your nice words, bookmarks and Kudos &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next time Tobirama awoke, he quickly noticed that they had stopped moving. He was thankfully lying on his left side. Ropes still bound his arms behind his back and his feet tightly together. The gag consisting of just a ball of cloth stuffed in his mouth and stipes of ripped clothes tied around his head, cutting into his burned face, was also still in place. The only thing different was the blindfold, which had slipped slightly, revealing Tobiramas left eye. His instincts screamed at him to open his eye, to look at his surroundings, to check where his kidnappers had gone but in a moment like this, he had to stay calm. His eye stayed closed and he was trying to focus his chakra. </p><p>The emptiness crawled through his veins again, remembering him of the chakra suppressing seals, which were tightly wrapped around his forearms, calves and one was plastered on his forehead. He just now realized that his forehead protector was missing, leaving him with the feeling of vulnerability. Through closer inspection, he noticed how lightly his torso was feeling. They must have taken his entire armor, leaving him only in his dark blue clothes which were tattered all over.<br/>
Tobirama began to feel the coldness of the forest flood over him. The sun had already descended and night was starting to pull over Konoha and the forest. Without the additional clothes he would normally wear, Tobirama was sure he’d become hypothermic, if they decided to let him stay on the ground any longer. Even though he doubted they’d cover him with blankets and get him something warm to drink, so he wouldn’t become ill.</p><p>“Hey, wake up!” Someone kicked him into his stomach. Tobirama couldn’t have sensed the attack, so he was taken aback and moaned into his gag.  He slowly cracked open his left eye to see a mountain of a man stand over him. A hand stretched out towards him but Tobirama rolled himself away under the hand and kicked into the direction of the man. He stumbled back but didn’t seem to be affect much by his attack. On second though this hadn’t been the smartest move, Tobirama admitted and instantly regretted his action. Two other men shot out of nowhere and pulled him up by his shoulders, so he’d sit on his knees between some wet leaves.</p><p>“Yeah, that was stupid.” Another man appeared. It was the voice of the apparent leader of the group. Tobirama held his head high and proudly, while the leader stood over him with crossed arms. He was a normal sized man, slim statue but with broad shoulders. Under the mask he could see a few locks seeking their way out. Apart from that, he couldn’t identify the man in any way. </p><p>“Listen, Senju. We don’t want trouble.” The boss said, ripping  the blindfold off completely and throwing it into the woods. Some strands of hair had been ripped out because they got stuck in the knot on the back of his head. A hand found his way into his hair and pulled it back. The stinging pain was nothing compared to the way his face burned the moment his skin got stretched from the harsh pull. Closing his eyes tightly from the pain, he couldn’t imagine himself to be a nice view to look at right now. Burned and blistered face, Leaves and little sticks stuck in his hair and various injuries covering the rest of his body. </p><p>“Nothing will happen to you, we’ll just contact your brother, get the money and you will get to go home. Doesn’t that sound nice?” He asked, pulling on his hair again. They both knew Tobirama could not answer that question, it was rhetorical anyway. He would have told him how stupid his plan was. Hashirama was probably already on his way, destroying everything stopping him from getting to Tobirama (but not the trees and animals of course, his brother wouldn’t dare to hurt them). His brother was not a violent man per se, he was just a very protective older brother. It kind of filled Tobirama’s heart with warmth, thinking of the importance of his life to his brother. Of course, he would do the exact same thing if it were the other way around.</p><p>So, to answer his question, Tobirama just raised his left eyebrow, as much as he could with his burned face. He hoped it wouldn’t leave a terrible scar in his face, even though his brother would try anything in his power to fix his face afterwards. On the other hand, he never really had been a pretty sight to look at, so a few burns or scars probably wouldn’t matter. </p><p>The hand in his hair was quickly to shove his head to the right, throwing him off balance, which left him lying on the ground again. He hated the feeling of helplessness, waiting for his rescuers like a damsel in distress but the ties around his limbs were tied too tightly and the chakra seals were too well made.</p><p>Someone grabbed his legs and pulled through the leaves and mud. Tobirama groaned when small rocks and sticks hit his skin and parts of his burned flesh were rubbed against the ground. He was dragged over to a tree, a few meters away from the campfire, which was already starting to die out due to the rain which was slowly starting to fall. The cold water felt nice on his hot skin, so he closed his eyes while he was lying on the floor. The enjoyment didn’t last very long because, with his clothes now wet, he started to shiver from the cold. </p><p>One of the men, the big one, set him upright just to tie him to the tree behind him. He let it happen because there wasn’t much he could do anyway. Tobirama was surprised when the knot of his gag was loosened. Before he could do anything, his head was yanked back against the bark of the tree. His head started to throb again and the man started to tie the cloth around the tree, so Tobirama couldn’t move his head at all, just stare straight ahead. He let out a pitiful and annoyed whine. Everything hurt and he was starting to freeze.</p><p>The man who had tied him up laughed, after he finished his work and went into the little cabin which was seated in front of him. The Senju was not alone, though, one of his kidnappers sat in the entrance of the small house, smoking lazily with a Kunai in hand. Watching him.</p><p> </p><p>Madara was silently running behind his friend. After they had left the children in the professional hands of the doctors in Konoha, the two of them were on their way to find Tobirama. His Sharingan was activated as soon as they had entered the forest. He could see a lot of forms and silhouettes but not the one he was looking for. His eyes often fell on the back of Hashirama, silently leading the way. Madara couldn’t remember an instance where his friend had been so silent, so cold. </p><p>Of course, he could understand him. He was searching for his missing little brother, possibly hurt anywhere in the wood with a group of complete strangers. It would worry him too. After Izuna nearly died at the hand of the younger Senju, he could have ripped him apart. He had never felt this kind of rage entering his body with all sense of reason leaving him. Hadn’t Hashirama stopped him that day, he would have killed Tobirama. War would have raged on and thousands would have died. The only reason they are where they are now, is due to Hashirama saving his little brother. </p><p>Even months later, after Madara nearly had lost his brother, he couldn’t say he liked the younger Senju. But Tobirama earned his respect, the night he had knocked on his door, completely unarmed and without any armour. He had been kneeling in front of his feet, hands on the ground, body lowered. He had apologized for the Uchihas he had killed, the way he had treated them and how he nearly had ruined their dream of peace, the day he wounded Izuna. Madara had been silent, waiting for the Senju to get up. But he didn’t so an awkward silence had filled the air.</p><p>“Stand up, you are making a scene, Senju.” Madara coughed, slightly blushing. If anyone would have told him a few years back from that day, the White Demon, Tobirama Senju would be kneeling at his feet, begging for forgiveness, Madara would have laughed and smitten him in seconds. But times have changed and so have they. The rest of the night the two of them had talked about their families, likes and dislikes and just about anything. They both had found out they were much more similar than they originally had thought.<br/>
That had been years ago and now they finally reached their dream of peace between their clans. More and more clans decided to follow their way to live together in harmony without war, without burying their own children, brothers and sisters, way before their time. </p><p>Then he saw it. Burned trees, the ground ripped open, ninja weapons scattered everywhere. </p><p>“Hashirama look!” He shouted and they both came to a halt on one of the still intact branches. </p><p>“This is definitely the scene of a battlefield.” Hashirama slowly dragged his hand over the rough bark of the tree. Madara couldn’t agree more. He could basically see the weapons flying around, the sound of them hitting the wood and flesh, bodies smashing into trees and each other, desperate voices calling out Jutsus. </p><p>Suddenly Hashirama jumped from the tree, landed softly on the ground and hurried towards something. The Uchiha followed. Both men looked at what could only be Tobirama’s beloved pelt, burned down into a crisp.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry if this is not good, my bike was stolen today and now I have no way of transportation, so I had a lot of stuff on my mind but I still wanted to deliver a new chapter! I hope you'll enjoy it anyways!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hashirama knelt down, softly touching the pelt. The rain had put out the fire probably a few moments ago since the hair was still slightly smoking. He lifted it up into the air to look at it even more closely. It was dirty, covered in sticks and stones and there was soot covering the whole thing.</p><p>“It doesn’t seem to have any blood on it.” Mentioned Madara beside him. His Sharingan was spinning slowly, analysing anything he could find on his brother’s beloved pelt. “It’s just burned.” The Uchiha reached out to touch it and hold it in his hand. He weighed it in both of his hands, looking at it from every angle, then back into the forest. </p><p>Hashirama meanwhile searched the ground for any sort of traces or clues of his brother’s whereabouts. He touched the bark of a tree again, trying to connect with it. He projected his brothers imagine to the trees, asking if they had seen him.</p><p>Yesyesyesyes.whitemanwhitemanwhiteman One of the trees shouted. ‘Where?’ he asked the tree.</p><p>Takenawayawayawayaway.fivehumanshumanshumans.easteasteasteast. </p><p>Hashirama smiled silently patting the bark of the tree. “They went east, Madara let’s go.” He turned around to jump ahead but noticed that his friend was not following him.</p><p>“Madara, we need to hurry! Come on! The trees told me they took him t-“ Hashirama stilled the moment the Uchiha pointed to the sky.<br/>A falcon was circling them and suddenly soaring towards the ground, only to stop and softly land on a small branch over their heads. A scroll and a little pouch were tied around one of his thin legs. Madara reached out and loosened the knot and took both items to himself. The Uchiha couldn’t help but pet the back of the bird, only for it to fly away quickly.</p><p>The scroll was opened and Madara read out aloud.</p><p>“Dear Lord Hokage, I’m pretty sure you already know what’s going on. We have your precious little brother in our hands, and we would hate it terribly if we couldn’t agree and we’d have to hurt him.” Madara stopped reading looking at Hashirama out of the corner of his eye. </p><p>The man clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. Oh boy, he was furious. His chakra was whirling angrily around him, producing wind, making the letter flutter in between his hands. </p><p>“Continue, please.” He whispered and Madara began where he had stopped reading. </p><p>“So, we decided to leave the choice to you. Either you leave 11 Million Ryô (to be honest, I tried to calculate how much Ryô is 1 Yen and then I tried to calculate it into Euros, because that’s the currency I use, this is supposed to be 1 Million Euros, ok?) at the Kagami bridge or you’ll have to say goodbye to your brother. You have time until tomorrow when the sun reaches its highest point.”</p><p>Madara rolled the scroll back up and opened the pouch. “That’s all that it said, Hashirama.” He said while fiddling with the rope around the brown, little bag. Suddenly his hands stilled.</p><p>“What’s wrong? What’s inside of it?” Hashirama asked with a small quiver in his voice. Red eyes looked at him, while he pulled out the content of the pouch. A bundle of white hair, tied together with a thin cord. The hair inside was unmistakably the hair of Tobirama Senju. Madara never thought the hair of the Senju to be that soft and silky. He had never touched the locks of Tobirama but from looking at Hashirama’s mane, he should have imagined it to be soft too. His thumb played with the strands silently, waiting for Hashirama to say something. </p><p>He was silent though. Madara was met with the face of worry and a glint of fear shimmered in his friend’s eyes. The taller man held out his empty palm and he placed the hair into it.  Hashirama looked at it, like it was the last thing which had remained of his brother. Neither of them knew what condition Tobirama was in right now, or if the kidnappers were just bluffing and they had eliminated the younger Senju long ago. No, Tobirama was alright, he always was. He had to be. </p><p>“Hashirama, you know your brother. He’ll be alright.” Madara didn’t know who he really tried to convince. “He’s strong, we’ll see him again soon, so don’t worry about him.”<br/>Hashirama’s head shot up and he gripped the hair tightly in his hand. Chakra flowed around him, and the ground started to shake. This didn’t last long and the Senju calmed down again.</p><p>“I’m sorry Madara.” Hashirama lowered his head. “It’s just. He’s my little brother. The only one I’ve got left. I have sworn to always protect him but look at what had happened now. I-“ </p><p>Madara held up his hand to interrupt the Hokage. “I understand. I myself am I big brother, as you know. If our positions were reversed, I’d probably react the same. But we need to stay calm now.”</p><p>Hashirama nodded. “You are right.” He rubbed his forehead with his fingers. “How do we find them?” Looking at his friend with pleading eyes, Hashirama knew if anyone were to come up with a plan, I’d be Madara.</p><p>The Uchiha laughed. “Don’t worry, my friend. Of course, I have a plan. While you were busy staring at the letter and pouch, I decided to place a seal on the bird. I bet it’s flying home to its owner right now, which will lead us to-“</p><p>“Tobirama!” Hashirama shouted with a wide grin in his face. “Madara you are brilliant!” The taller man jumped at Madara and lifted him up into the air, crushed in a big bear hug.</p><p>“Oh god…” He mumbled but let it happen. </p><p> </p><p>Tobirama was still sitting upright with his back pressed against the tree. He was drenched at this point now, shivering from the cold wind blowing into his face. His hair hung into his face and inched at his nose. His captors had left him long ago and had even closed the door to the cabin. For a few moments he had thought about trying to escape but threw away the plan quickly. He didn’t want to admit it, but he had no chance against them. Even if he could free himself of his ties, his chakra would still be trapped inside of him, with no way for him to use it against his enemies, due to the seals which covered his whole body now. Before they had left him to enter the cabin, they had covered nearly every inch of him with any kind of seals, just to be careful.</p><p>He sighed and pulled up his nose. He was definitely going to be ill after this. </p><p>This was not his first kidnapping and it hasn’t the worst. But it was one of the more uncomfortable ones, that’s for sure. He had to admit, being the brother of the Hokage, the strongest Shinobi he knew, had its perks but also its downsides. And this was one of them. People often thought, they could try to blackmail his brother into giving them what they wanted, if they’d just kidnap Tobirama… and they were right. His brother loved him, and he loved his brother back, so of course they were each other’s weaknesses, which their enemies like to use against them.</p><p>Tobirama started to stiffen in this cold. He wasn’t able to move much, so his muscles were trapped in one position. The cold rain first helped him with his injuries and pains but now was starting to irritate his skin. His wounds had been hurting for a while now, but it got worse and worse, the longer he was left untreated. <br/>In the corner of his eye he saw the falcon they had sent away earlier. It came back without the items they had bound to its legs, so he guessed it must have delivered the threats to his brother. Tobirama couldn’t wait for his brother to finally arrive. He had waited long enough now. </p><p>Before Tobirama could complain about his current status anymore, he was ripped out of his thoughts. The door to the cabin was opened and all five men came out of it, their mouths stretched into wide smirks.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Light</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! Welcome back my friends! I just wanted to inform you that there probably WON'T BE A NEW CHAPTER TOMORROW! I have to work the entire day tomorrow, so I made this chapter a little bit longer :D I hope you all stay healthy and enjoy this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tobirama found himself lying on the wet, soggy floor again, his face was covered with mud and his nose was running. He felt the raindrops harshly hit his face, and little streams of water were running down his face and neck. All of his clothes were completely drenched, and he couldn’t control his shivering and shaking anymore. He was COLD! </p><p>He huffed annoyedly and sniffed loudly. God, how much he longed for a warm, quiet bath right now, after which he would sit in front of a small fire, snuggled into comfortable clothes. The foul treatment he was receiving at them moment was just plainly unfair, cruel and unnecessary. </p><p>After they had untied him from the tree, they dragged him through the mud, telling him how his brother would give them their requested money soon, and how he’ll be running free again tomorrow. So why were they kicking and shoving him around on the floor? Tobirama guessed they were just bored and wanted to pass time somehow and he was just the right plaything for that. </p><p>It wasn’t like the punches and kicks didn’t hurt but he had worse in his life and he could take a hit or two. Again, he groaned when he was kicked in the back again. Tobirama could feel bruises form underneath his clothes, which clung to his body. </p><p>The burns, he was covered in, still hurt and the cold wasn’t really helping anymore. He felt clammy and he was worried a few of his cuts and wounds would become infected. <br/>Tobirama wanted to throw insults at them and curse their name for all eternity but the gag in his mouth still hindered him. The cloth was already full of spit and rainwater so the Senju naturally wanted to spit it out right away, but he just couldn’t. </p><p>Another kick hit him in the shoulder, turning him around to lie on his left side. Pain spread through his right shoulder, where the kick had hit his burns. His field of view started to wobble and the world started to spin. He felt sick. Through his blurry eyes, he could see inside the open doored cabin now. It looked comfortable. There was, what he guessed was a small chimney and some chairs surrounding it. One man was still sitting inside, not joining his colleagues in their fun. He looked like he was deep in thoughts, staring at the fire. The falcon which had just returned was sitting next to him on the table, waiting for attention of its (probable) owner. An uncoordinated and shaky hand hovered over the bird and started to softly pet it. The man didn’t seem like the typical fighter type nor did he look like he was all too happy about the situation he was in right now. </p><p>He was ripped out of his thoughts when someone grabbed his hair and pulled him up. It was the leader of the group again. ‘That guy seemed to have a thing for yanking people up by their hair’ Tobirama thought, while wincing in pain. </p><p>“Listen, kid.” He began. Kid? How old does he think he is? 12? Tobirama raised his eyebrows in anticipation of what he had to say. “We would love to spend more time with you, but its time we go to bed now. You need to sleep too, tomorrow is your big day, after all. We need you to look rested, so your brother won’t rip our heads off.” </p><p>Tobirama wanted to laugh, knowing Hashirama will definitely rip their faces off. He stayed silent and waited for the man to finish. The rest of his men had already started to retreat into the warmth of the cabin. </p><p>“You know, I’m going to be nice. I’ll let you sleep on the porch. So, you won’t get cold tonight.” Tobirama was pushed into the mud again, his legs were grabbed, and the man pulled him onto the “porch”. It was basically just roof sticking over the wall, leaving a little bit of dry space. ‘So genuinely nice of you’ He thought while watching the leader leave him alone and wander into the cabin. <br/>He was all alone now, lying on a cold patch of grass, waiting for the next day to come. Tobiarma rolled up into himself, trying to spend himself some warmth. He flexed his fingers, noticing how he could barely move them anymore due to them shaking uncontrollably for a while now. He knew he shouldn’t fall asleep, he should try and fight the urge to welcome the black darkness, yet he felt how his eyelids became heavier and heavier. <br/>Seconds before Tobirama fell asleep he thought about the dangers of falling unconscious in a cold environment. </p><p>It felt like just a few seconds of sleep, but he was sucked out of the blissful darkness by the shaking ground. Was it an earthquake? What was going on. Tobirama rolled onto his back and then onto his right side to check his surroundings. He captors apparently felt the ground quiver too and decided to rush outside. The extremely broad man ran towards him pulling him up by his shirt.</p><p>“What are you doing? Stop that!” He screamed at him, shaking him violently. They thought this was his doing? Tobirama shook his head, trying to signal them, he was innocent in this. He couldn’t have done it even without the chakra seals binding him. He was a water user. Earth Jutsus were impossible for him to master. <br/>Suddenly a root shot out of the ground, hitting the man directly in the chest, impaling him. Blood splattered onto Tobirama’s face and all around him. His body flopped back onto the ground with a loud thud, hitting his head against the wet and thankfully soft forest floor. He was lying face down in the dirt, so he couldn’t see what exactly was happening, but he heard screaming and shouting.</p><p>Could it be? The Wood Style wasn’t a very common form of fighting and Tobirama only knew a few people who could use it. One of them was his brother Hashirama. He silently hoped it was him.</p><p>All of the sudden he felt a warm hand on his shoulder turning him around. No! He couldn’t let them take him away again, not when his brother was so close! Tobirama used his momentum and kicked the silhouette into the chest with both feet. The man above him was, to the surprise of Tobirama quicker than him, easily catching his feet with one hand. He frowned at the man above him. Had he really become this sluggish? Was he already this weak? Could a little bit of cold and a few burns take out Tobirama Senju? Apparently they could.</p><p>He heard a few angry words being shouted at him, but he couldn’t concentrate on them. His head felt like it was out of jelly and the whole world started to spin. Then there was darkness.</p><p> </p><p>They had never thought they’d arrive at their hideout this quickly. Madara and Hashirama were jumping from tree to tree, a weird and stressed silence was hanging between them. Both of the men were highly concentrated now. Madara knew they couldn’t just barge in, kill them all, take Tobirama and disappear. They needed a plan. Fast! <br/>Hashirama on the other hand wholeheartedly disagreed with the Uchiha, because he was already forming seals and for a moment nothing happened. Suddenly the ground began to shake! Madara saw a few men run out of the cabin, looking around confused. One of them ran towards a shadow on the ground. </p><p>Wait. This was no shadow, it was a person. And that person was being shaken aggressively now. The light of the moon revealed it to be a man with white, spiky hair covering his head.</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>Madara’s head shot around to meet the furious face of his friend. “Hashirama! Calm down!” Before he could calm the older Senju down, roots shot out of the ground, immediately piercing the man shaking Tobirama and it impaled him completely.  </p><p>“Hashirama wait! We need a plan!” Madara screamed through the deafening sound of the shaking ground and the words thrown around by the men at the cabin. Hashirama didn’t seem to hear him and jumped out of their cover and ran straight towards those confused men, already forming new head seals. </p><p>The sounds of screams, flesh hitting wood, flesh hitting flesh and weapons flying through the air joined the noise of more and more roots coming out of the earth, which seemed to be ripped apart. </p><p>Madara sighed, jumping out of the darkness too. There was no point in trying to figure out a plan now. They had to improvise. So, the Uchiha ran towards the figure lying face down on the floor. It was unmistakably Tobirama Senju. White locks on a pale head. His armor had been removed, revealing drenched clothes clinging to his tall but slender frame. His hands and feet were bound, and he was covered in chakra supressing seals. The man had no chance of escaping in any way and had probably no idea he was sitting behind him. Madara wanted to reach out, trying to grab his right shoulder, when he saw his burned right forearm. It was blistering and it had an unnatural red colour, already looking infected, while being covered in mud with leave sticking to it. The Uchiha decided not to touch him too harshly and gently took his left shoulder and rolled him onto his back. <br/>He expected a lot but what he didn’t see coming, was a pair of feet racing towards him. His Sharingan, still activated, reacted quickly and he could easily catch them in his hand. <br/>Tobirama not being able to see him, his ASS!</p><p>“What. The. FUCK! Is this your way of saying thank you! I should just let you rot here on the fl-“ Before he could finish his rant, the head of Tobirama raced towards the ground. Quickly he caught it with both of his hands, holding it steadily. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The entirety of Tobirama’s right face was completely red, covering in soot, blisters, sticks, mud and little rocks. Madara had to blink a few times, recovering from the shock. This looked horrible. He swallowed, as he noticed the gag trapped between the Senju’s lips. Quickly he untied it with one hand and threw it away. The mouth stayed open. Tobirama was unconscious.</p><p>He needed to be healed and put into warm clothes quickly. Madara touched the face of Tobirama with the back of his hand. It was completely wet and terribly cold, whereas his wounds were alarmingly hot. </p><p>“Hashirama! Get your ass here! Your brother needs you!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you very much for over 1k views! I can't imagine how many people this could be ;_; and I just saw we hit 100 Kudos now and I don't know what to say! Thank you all very much! 🙇🏻♀️</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello again! I'm back and tired but here is a new chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was quiet. It seemed like the fighting had stopped. Tobirama was still lying in Madara’s arms, out cold, when Hashirama joined them under the cover of the roof, sheltering them from the biting rain. Hashirama stood before them, completely soaked in rain and other unknown fluids. His fits were clenched and shaking viciously while he slowly sank down onto the soggy forest ground. A quivering hand reached out to touch Tobirama’s face. Madara was expecting a green light shining through the darkness but there was nothing. Hashirama was just staring at his brother.</p><p>“He’s just unconscious, Hashirama. He’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Hashirama looked at him blankly but nodded. “But you need to heal him. I don’t know how much you can do, but you must at least try it! He’s your brother, he needs you to be focused now!” Madara needed to get some sense back into the Senju, before this was all for nothing.</p><p>It seemed like it was working, because Hashimara’s face started to change from pale and empty, to determined and concentrated. He softly placed his hands on Tobirama’s cheeks, closing his eyes. Green light erupted from his palms, lulling all three of them into a soft, green aura. The older Senju had taken his little brother’s face into his own hands now, so Madara had time to untie him from the ropes. He started at the legs, quickly getting rid of the rough rope with his Kunai. He found some red markings and a little bit of blood on the ankles of Tobirama, probably caused by struggling. On his calves he could see the first pair of binding seals. He’ll take care of them later. The Uchiha continued and moved his arm under the back of the other man, trying to remove the ropes on his wrists. </p><p>The head of Tobirama was meanwhile lying on Hashirama’s lap. Both brothers looked tired and worn out, which was understandable. Within seconds, Madara found the rope and quickly cut it, pulling the arms out from under his back. Like the ankles, the wrists both were covered in burned circles around the joint, also from struggling. Madara took the limp, right arm into his hand and inspected it. It was burned badly, leaving his arm splattered with red patches of burned flesh. Madara rolled up the sleeve to discover the burn went down to his shoulders.</p><p>“His whole right side is covered in burns, Madara. It’s bad. We need to get him to a hospital, quickly!” Both nodded, and the Uchiha pulled the sleeve down carefully. Madara sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This wasn’t just bad, this was terrible. But before he could contemplate on their situation, Hashirama rose up and looked at him.</p><p>“I need to ask for a favour.” He began. The Senju turned around and said: “I trust you enough to take my brother back to the village. I need to handle those guys first.” He pointed at a group of men, sitting in a circle, all beaten and tied up. Those were the men, who had kidnapped Tobirama and tried to ransom him back to Konoha. Madara had thought, his friend would have killed them all but after all of this, he was still too soft for it.</p><p>“Look, I can kill them. You take your brother and leave. This would spread around, and you would lose reputation as the Hokage.” Madara wasn’t shy about his ruthlessness. He was known to be the brutal head of the clan Uchiha, his image wouldn’t suffer from another one of those stories.</p><p>“No, this is personal. I need to handle this. Don’t worry.” Hashirama winked at him and his face was covered by his trademark smirk but they both knew the seriousness which was hidden behind it right now. </p><p>Madara, still kneeling on the floor, nodded at Hashirama and watched him turn around, sauntering towards the helplessly bound men. </p><p>The Uchiha reached underneath Tobirama’s knees and back and slowly lifted him into the air. His arms and legs were still dangling around freely, but it was easier to carry him now. Madara spared one last, quick glance over his shoulders, seeing Hashirama stand in front of their enemies, looking down at them. </p><p>He decided to quickly hop off into the forest, leaving Hashirama to do his deed. While flying through the forest, Madara looked at the man in his arms. If somebody would have told him a few years back from now, he would be jumping around the forest, a hurt and unconscious Tobirama Senju in his arms, he would have laughed his ass off. This situation was so bizarre. Saving his long time enemy, feeling worried and scared for his wellbeing, those were emotions he wouldn’t have had for Tobirama years ago. He would have gladly copped his head off. But that’s how things change. Maybe he had grown soft, maybe he wasn’t such a bad person after all. Who knows? Maybe they’ll even call each other friends someday. But that’s a question only time could answer.</p><p> </p><p>He felt like he was flying. Was he dead? Is this what death felt like? It wasn’t so bad after all, he imagined death… colder… darker… heavier. <br/>Well, Tobirama was still cold and he couldn’t see anything, so he probably wasn’t dead. Did they put the blindfold back on him? Another thing he noticed was, how he could move his extremities again. Not much, just slightly. Did they untie him? How foolish of them. On the other hand, he wouldn’t really pose a big challenge with the chakra seals still in place. He knew, he was not alone, there was someone close to him right now, he could feel the warmth of a body, close to his own. It was… nice. After being cold for so long and nearly freezing to death, he tried to absorb as much heat as he could, snuggling closer to the source of warmth. Tobirama escaped a shaky sigh. A lot of sorrow and worries already fell of him little by little. At least he is not going to die due to the cold. </p><p>The more awake he became, the more he took note of his surroundings. The sound of rain against his skin. The dull pain all over his body, his shaking, the calm sound of breathing, sometimes a single footstep, like a sandal hitting the ground. It seemed like they were alone, only two of them.</p><p>He debated whether he should open his eyes or not. This was comfortable, he had to admit but at the same time he could be taken away to never return. They could kill him any second and he had no chance of reacting. He needed to escape now and check out the other person later, in safe distance. </p><p>So, he prepared himself to roll out of the warm embrace. He waited until he heard another step of the sandal, braced himself and flew away from the warmth into the unknown.</p><p> </p><p>Their journey back to Konoha had been pleasantly unspectacular. Madara had met no resistance from any attackers, nor from Tobirama in his arms but he still had activated his Sharingan, just to be sure. He had to chuckle a little bit when he noticed Tobirama snuggling closer to him. It was almost cute. He held the White Demon, a deadly weapon, in his arms and called him cute. </p><p>He nearly died a thousand deaths, though, when Tobirama suddenly jumped out of his arms. Madara had paid no attention on whether he was awake or still unconscious, which was a grave mistake, he noticed. What was that idiot thinking? Why are those damn Senjus so complicated and thick headed? Madara saw Tobirama cascading into the dark of the forest under him. A quick swear was uttered and Madara jumped after him. He met the trunk of a tree harshly with both feet and flung himself into the direction, his Sharingan told him, the other would fall. It matched perfectly and Madara easily caught the falling Senju in his arms again. He shouldn’t have thought about how quite and easy everything was, because Tobirama wasn’t lying limply in his grasp, he was struggling like Madara was about to execute him.</p><p>“Calm down, you idiot.” Madara was carefully jumping his way down, over several of thick branches, while trying not to lose the Senju again. The struggle didn’t still, even after they both were safely on the ground. Tobirama was sitting on the ground, swatting away Madara’s hands. If Hashirama won’t start kissing the floor he is walking on after all of this, Madara would be pissed. </p><p>Tobirama was still trying to get away, until Madara caught one of his wrists. The younger man stilled, looking Madara straight into the eyes. Tobirama had never done this before. In war times looking in an Uchiha’s eyes meant death and some Shinobis like the younger Senju never got rid of this habit and never forgot. Apparently, he noticed that and quickly looked away. </p><p>“Wha- what’s going on? Where are we?” Tobirama stood up and started to walk around with slightly wobbling legs. Madara saw the confusion and the desperation in the other’s eyes, while he tried to make sense of everything.</p><p>“Calm down, will you, Senju?” Madara stood up too and walked towards Tobirama with caution. </p><p>“Calm down? What are you talking about? Why am I here? Why am I not with them anymore? Did YOU rescue me?” He rambles and raised an eyebrow. The reaction Tobirama showed, Marada deemed as expected. He didn’t know if he would have reacted differently.</p><p>“I know it’s hard to believe but yes, I have rescued you. But don’t worry, I didn’t do it out of the pure goodness of my ginormous heart. Hashirama and some children convinced me to come help.” Madara quickly fell back into his old talking habits towards Tobirama. Maybe there was no possibility of friendship between them, after all.</p><p>“Hashirama? Where is he? Are the children alright? Did they all come back safe?” Tobirama asked, still shaking. Coincidentally the Senju’s knees gave up in this exact moment. Madara was easily able to catch him, being prepared for something like that. </p><p>“We need to get you back to the village. Your brother will come back soon, I’ve promised him to take care of you and get you to the hospital! And yes, the children are fine. They were all scared and some were hurt, but they all seemed relatively okay. Unlike you.” Madara set them both back onto the ground. “Look, I hate this as much as I do, but we need to go. I can’t see you walking in your condition right now, so I’ll carry you.” He stated and looked Tobirama dead in the eyes, just too see an embarrassed blush cover the pale cheeks. </p><p>“You can forget that! I won’t be carried by you! I am able to walk by myself.” To prove himself Tobirama tried to stand up but already failed and he sank back onto the ground.</p><p>“Since you are conscious now, I don’t need to carry you, like I did earlier. You can just hop onto my back if that’s more your taste.” Madara mocked. He was grinning slightly when he saw the blush on the other’s face deepen and spread. Without waiting, Madara positioned himself, so Tobirama could easily jump onto his back, even with sitting on the ground. The Uchiha felt one pair of arms sneak around his neck, connecting at his chest, while the right hand held the left wrist. Madara put his hands under the knees of the Senju and stood up.</p><p>“In case of Hashirama asking; this never happened.” Tobirama mumbled into his arm.</p><p>“Alright.”</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Helloooo! This is the last chapter of this story! I want to thank all of you for reading this stupid little story, commenting, leaving Kudos and bookmarks, subscribing and so on. I hoped you all liked it and we'll see each other in antoher story again :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Madara was jumping through the forest with Tobirama on his back. The silence between the two of them had been awkward at first but now settled into a relatively relaxing quietness. He didn’t know if the Senju had fallen asleep, but he could clearly hear his steady breathing. </p><p>“Can you remove the chakra seals, Madara?” Tobirama suddenly asked. It caught him by surprise. He stopped jumping and landed softly on the ground.</p><p>“Now? Don’t you want to wait until we are in Konoha and let some experts do it?” Madara technically knew how to remove seals, it wasn’t that hard for a trained Shinobi like him but looking at the Senju’s current state, he didn’t want to make things worse.</p><p>“No, I- I feel blind with them holding back my chakra. I’m a sensor and I can’t feel anyone right now, not even your chakra. I- I hate it.” </p><p>It was quite understandable. Sensors relied on their chakra more than any other Shinobi would. It must feel scary, to suddenly just be blind like that. Madara couldn’t imagine how it felt being in the hands of enemies, feeling this helpless. </p><p>“Ok, I’ll try, but don’t yell at me if it doesn’t work or gets worse! This is on you!” Madara could imagine Hashirama being furious with him, bringing back his brother but something had gone wrong while he had tried to remove the seals. </p><p>The Senju nodded, holding out his right arm. Madara quickly did the matching hand seals, trying his best not to mess up. Taking the arm in his hand, he placed his other hand right on the seal. It lighted up slightly and then became dull again.</p><p>“Did it work?” Madara softly took the edge of the paper in his hand, carefully removing it from the burned skin. Tobirama hissed quietly but didn’t say anything. Letting go of the arm, Madara watched Tobirama flex his finger slightly, then looking him in the eyes. A small smile was on his face.</p><p>“Yeah… It worked.” </p><p>The fact that Madara felt relieved, was no surprise. So many things could have gone wrong. Quickly, he went back to work and removed the other seals. <br/>The last one to remove was the one on his forehead. After it fell off, Tobirama seemed like a different person. He seemed like he gained some confidence again, already looking healthier. He still looked miserably but his attitude had changed.</p><p>The Senju looked him dead in the eye. A second time now. “Thank you.” He said honestly. <br/>This meant a lot to Madara. First, he looked him in the eyes, a sign of trust and then sincere gratitude from the White Demon. He never though he’d ever get something like this.</p><p>“Let’s keep going. We still need to reach the village.” Was the only thing he said.</p><p> </p><p>After a while, the Uchiha noticed how the forest became lighter and the lights of Konoha could be seen in the distance. So, they have finally made it. A big stone fell off his heart and Madara paused at the end of the forest to look at their precious village.</p><p>“It’s beautiful isn’t it? Peaceful even.” Madara was shocked by the sudden voice of Tobirama. He quickly deactivated his Sharingan and nodded. </p><p>“Yeah… so quiet.” </p><p>The two of them enjoyed the view a few seconds longer and then Madara took of again. They were getting closer and closer to the village, when Tobirama began to struggle. </p><p>“I can walk the rest of the way, Madara. There is no need for you to carry me anymore.” Trying to get out of his grasp. Madara sighed again, rolling his eyes at the Senju. This clan was so unnecessarily proud and thick headed. Madara had carried the man the whole way and now he wanted to be let down?</p><p>“You are just scared that someone will see you being carried.” Madara had no intentions of making the other man walk the rest of the way. He promised Hashirama he’d get his brother to a hospital, without causing him more injuries. He won’t risk Tobirama slipping and cracking his head on some stones. </p><p>“And everyone will be asleep or at home anyway. I doubt there will be a lot of people on the streets. It’s the middle of the night anyway.” </p><p>Right on time, Madara couldn’t stop a yawn from escaping him. It really was extremely late and normally he’d be asleep already. Behind his right ear, the Uchiha could hear Tobirama grumble. He didn’t seem all too happy about his decision but there wasn’t much he could do anyway. Madara had made up his mind.</p><p>“I have a reputation to uphold, you know?” Tobirama slowly started to ease his struggles, settling back down. Madara chuckled and stopped at the gates of Konoha.</p><p>“Yeah me too. But you don’t hear me complaining. What do you think my clan elders will say if they found out I was carrying Tobirama Senju on my back?” Now it was Tobirama’s time to laugh. It wasn’t a sound Madara was familiar with, but it sounded nice, nevertheless. </p><p>“They’ll think you are a noble hero, helping the ones in need?” The Senju answered sarcastically. Madara joined in with laughter of his own. He had never really spent much time with the younger Senju but through this conversation he thought that maybe… just maybe they would become something like friends. Sometimes he wished he had been born in a different time, into a different clan, maybe even in a different dimension all togehther. Things would have been easier.</p><p>“Yeah, sure. You know, they still want you dead, right?” Madara asked and Tobirama nodded. </p><p>“Don’t ask the Senju elders, they feel the same way about you, don’t worry.”</p><p>Both men were still standing in front of the gates of Konoha. </p><p>“So, what’s the plan now? I could take you to the hospital over the roofs if that’s more your thing. There’s no chance someone will cross our path.” They were both Shinobis after all, this wasn’t too hard of a challenge and the hospital wasn’t far away, anyway.</p><p>“Yeah that sounds good.” Tobirama confirmed and put his head back on Madara’s shoulder, also hiding a yawn in his shoulder. It was understandable that the younger man was tired. He had an odyssey behind him, after all, so his tiredness war adequate. </p><p>Quickly, Madara jumped onto the stone wall, which was starting to surround the village. It was not finished yet, but they had started it months ago, trying to give some security to the civilians inside. The Uchiha jumped from roof to roof, trying to be as quiet as possible, not wanting the wake up anyone. </p><p>After a few minutes he could see the hospital under him, and he landed swiftly on the ground. He had opened one of the double doors with his shoulder and got both of them inside. A nurse saw them arrive and started hurrying over into their direction.</p><p>“Mr. Uchiha! What happened?” She placed her hands on the back of Tobirama, seemingly checking for injuries. She called over a doctor who walked over hastily when she saw who was standing in their entrance. </p><p>“We need a free bed! Quickly!” The doctor shouted and she waved over a few men. </p><p>“Hashirama had already started healing him a few hours ago.” Madara explained. “But he couldn’t heal everything.” </p><p>Tobirama was placed onto the bed and quickly hurried away. He had reached with his hand out to Madara, as if he had wanted to say something to him. He shrugged, it could wait until later. </p><p>The doctor wanted to know exactly what happened and he filled her in as much as he could. She told him about the chakra seals, which he had removed himself, earning him a slightly angry look from the woman. He ignored it and explained to her that they had found him unconscious, tied up and gagged. He described that he had been cold to the touch and how Tobirama probably had some infected wounds. </p><p>After telling her everything he knew, the doctor thanked him and quickly headed after the young Senju, leaving Madara standing alone.</p><p> </p><p>Madara had decided to sit down, while waiting for either Tobirama, the doctor or Hashirama. He still had a few things to talk about with the older Senju. He watched a few people enter and exit the hospital. A lot had flowers or chocolate in their hands, others left the hospital weeping. Madara wasn’t too worried about Tobirama, he had seemed ‘fine’ through their way back.</p><p>“Mr. Madara!” A young voice ripped him out of his thoughts. It was one of the children, who told him about what had happened to Tobirama earlier. He seemed to be well enough to leave. What appeared to be his father, mother and brother were with him. The boy ran towards him and stopped right in front him.</p><p>“Why are you here, Mr. Madara? Did you find Mr. Tobirama? Is he alright?” Before he could answer, the boy’s father interrupted. “Akemi, let Mr. Uchiha rest. He doesn’t need to tell you why he’s here.” He bowed to Madara apologetically. The Uchiha laughed and knelt down to the little boy. </p><p>“Don’t worry about it.” He told the father and then faced the boy. </p><p>“Akemi, right?” The boy nodded. “I just brought Tobirama here. He is a little shaken up, but he’ll be alright.” He put his hand on the head of the child. “And all thanks to you. If you and your friends wouldn’t have told us what had happened, he would be worse off.”</p><p>The boy’s face light up. “So, we helped save Mr. Tobirama?” His eyes were shining and Madara couldn’t just tell him, without those kids, this all wouldn’t have happened but that would have been the wrong decision and just really mean. So, Madara decided to nod and pat him on his back and then stood up again.</p><p>“Yes, good job, Akemi.”</p><p>The boy turned around and ran to his parents, yelling how he singlehandedly saved Tobirama Senju. The adults were all smiling and Madara could still hear them talk after they said goodbye and left the house.</p><p>The grin on his face disappeared, when he started to wonder when Hashirama was going to be here.</p><p>As if Hashirama had heard his thoughts, a big shadow barged through the entrance doors, scaring the nurse at the front desk. </p><p>“Mr. H-Hokage.” She stammered. “I know you probably want to see your brother, but he is still in with the doctor, Sir.” </p><p>Before he could ask about Madara, he stepped up next to the Senju. He put a hand on his back and nodded at the corridor the doctor and nurses had disappeared into.</p><p>“Don’t worry, he’s with the doctors now. He’ll be fine.” Before Madara could add anything, he was crushed in a big hug by the taller man. Wet tears found his way onto his shoulders. Madara felt slightly overwhelmed and just patted Hashirama’s back. </p><p>He could hear thousands of “thanks yous” and “I’m so happys” coming from the other one. Hashirama pushed him away by one arm length and looked at him with a giant smile and big tears rolling down his face. </p><p>“I’m so glad you are alright! I was so worried something would happen to you guys on your way here! But you did it!” </p><p>The nurse next to them slightly turned her head away, acting like she was busy with something, to give them their privacy. </p><p>“Don’t worry. Everything went well.” Madara smiled slightly. “But let me ask you something. What happened to those men?” Madara took the other’s arm and pulled him away from the desk. “Did you kill them?” He whispered.</p><p>“No, don’t worry. They were Ninjas from the land of water. They are sitting in a prison here now, but I’ve informed the Mizukage. Apparently, they were rogue shinobis. She’ll come over soon and we’ll talk about the consequences for the actions of these men.”</p><p>Madara was pleasantly surprised. “So, you know how to lead, after all.” He mocked his friend.</p><p>Before Hashirama could be outraged, the doctor entered the room.</p><p>“Ah, Mr. Hokage, Mr. Uchiha.” She bowed politely. “You can talk to Mr. Senju now. He’s awake and he seems to be fine. We need to keep him here for a few more days, just to be sure. He’ll recover from everything but…” The doctor stopped.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” They both asked at the same time. </p><p>“The burns… they’ll leave some scars. We tried everything we could, but they are too deep and a few of them were infected as well. We don’t know how much it will scar but a few will definitely remain.” </p><p>Silence spread in the room. Madara had expected it, he had to admit. As a fire user, he knew what kind of damages fire could leave. </p><p>“But- But he’ll be fine, though? They won’t hurt him?” Hashirama asked the doctor and fidgeted with his hands. This was a picture of a worried big brother.</p><p>“We can’t be sure for certain, but it seems like it will just be a visual defect. We don’t think it will hurt him after it scarred. If you’ll excuse me now. I need to tend to my other patients. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call a nurse or me.” She bowed again and hurried back to where she came from.</p><p>“That’s… mostly good news.” Madara answered. Hashirama didn’t seem convinced, he still had the look of pure worry on his face. “Come on, let’s visit him. I bet he is already waiting for you.” Madara nudged his friend into his side. It seemed like it worked, and his friend snapped out of it. Hashirama nodded and both men started to walk towards the rooms.</p><p>Hashirama softly knocked at the door and waited just for Tobirama to call them in. Heput his head in and looked around. “Can we come in?” Madara couldn’t see or hear the answer but it seemed like Tobirama had agreed. The older Senju rushed in and practically jumped onto his little brother. A loud thud was heard and now Madara could see how Hashirama was indeed lying on Tobirama, pressing the head of his little brother into his chest. The younger one was blindly swatting at his brother, looking annoyed and a little bit embarrassed. </p><p>“Brother… calm down, I’m fine.” Tobirama was now covered in black hair. It didn’t seem like Hashirama was planning on letting go anytime soon. </p><p>“Don’t ever do this again, Tobi! You had me so worried!” Hashirama shouted. Both Tobirama and Madara instantly shushed him, they were in a hospital after all. <br/>Both Hashirama and Tobirama settled down, while the younger was stilled crushed in a hug by his brother. He looked at Madara with a little smile.</p><p>“I never thought I’d ever tell you this but… thank you.” </p><p>Madara became red instantly. Oh boy, he couldn’t handle this now. All of this ‘enemies to rivals to friends’ thing still made him feel weird but he did appreciate it. </p><p>“Thanks for saving my life, for bringing me home safely and staying to make sure I was ok, after all of this.” </p><p>Madara didn’t know where to look because both of the Senjus were now looking at him. Hashirama was still crying but nodding fiercely. Oh boy. One Senju was already bad enough, but now he had to watch over two of them. </p><p>He shrugged. He guessed this was how his life will be from now on. Two Senjus. One too emotional and stupid. The other one trying to be friendly but failing miserably… Sometimes.</p><p>But hey. They trusted him.</p><p>And it could be worse, anyway.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>THE END</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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